Usenet clients

Usenet Network

Usenet is a decentralized network, it works by each Usenet server sharing its information with all the other servers on the network. This propagation across servers makes Usenet an ideal place for storing information and data of all types.

Usenet Privacy

The question of privacy, personal data and the use of a Usenet account has always existed. Privacy comes from:

The architecture of the Usenet network itself - Usenet is a decentralized, distributed network. No one organization has control over its operation. New articles are automatically propagated throughout the system by daily feeds among the larger sites (backbone nodes).

The spirit and culture of Usenet - Usenet providers rely on maintaining their customers’ privacy as a business model. In general, Usenet Service Providers have never tried to reduce privacy or protection, unlike the rest of the internet which is very much controlled, and social networks that see the world as open but without any discretion. Usenet has no binding authority. People do what they want to do, and we end up with a result that is the agglomeration of individual choices.

Privacy is what Usenet boasts and Torrent somewhat lacks. When you download something via Torrent, you risk being spotted and held accountable for that. This is the reason why various users of Torrents have begun looking elsewhere for an alternative, after all. With Usenet, you are thoroughly protected from such danger. Especially if you get the opportunity to use SSL connection, your IP is in no way exposed to others. So, in terms of anonymity and online privacy, Usenet is remarkably better than Torrents.

What is the privacy like for each Usenet Service Provider?:

We have collected a few key points we consider essential, that add up to “Privacy” as a whole:

Jurisdiction - where is the Usenet Service Provider based? Its judicial status is essential. It determines on one hand their policy for retrieving copyrighted files (DMCA = USA // NTD = Netherlands - because dutch USENET do not have DMCA takedowns like US providers) and on the other, the duration of LOGS. Although often believed otherwise, the USA does not have a policy on the length of time LOGS are kept. The USA are NO LOGS, like the Netherlands. So a Usenet Service Provider based in the US is not legally obliged to keep LOGS.

LOGS - in theory when you connect to a Newsgroup Server, the provider may log your IP address and keep a log of what files you messages you have downloaded. In practice Usenet providers never keep logs, at least as far as we’ve heard, so you can be safe that your downloads will remain private. Equally, there is no monitoring of your downloads.

Tier-1 provider - In most cases,
it’s best that you choose to go with a Tier-1 provider because they have the greatest control (Speed, Bandwitch, Completion, Retention) and typically have the best reliability. The second reason is that a Tier-1 provider directly manages its LOGS policy. Since it runs the network, it runs the logs as well. A newsgroup reseller is obliged to depend on its Tier-1 provider, the backbone from which it rents the network.

SSL - If you’re really worried about privacy, using an SSL connection with your Usenet access will protect you. SSL encryption is always recommend both for privacy and to avoid ISP Traffic Shaping. A VPN is not needed to add to the security of your connection. The VPN encryption is on top of the SSL which has the same standards (Secure Socket Layer vs AES). No benefit to use VPN with Usenet if using SSL. The only thing it could do is change your IP in logs of your provider if they keep any or unless you do not want your Usenet Service Provider to know your ISP IP

Anonymous payment -
Maximizing your protection means paying and signing up for those services and products with providers that accept Paysafe Card, Bitcoin or some other way of making privacy-enhanced or “anonymous” payments. The most feasible anonymous payment methods include Bitcoin (or some other crypto currencies), Money Order and Paysafecard. The most popular “anonymous” payment methods are Bitcoin or PaySafeCard, of which our favourite is Bitcoin. Bitcoin isn’t 100% anonymous but it protects your identity pretty well. Usenet fans in search of more anonymous payment options will appreciate bitcoin payments.

Information about yourself - In this section we have collected:

Registration details: The necessary information for each Usenet Service Provider (first or last name, address, telephone number). The less the better!

Personnal Data: What do they do with the data given on registering and the data from your non-anonymous payment method, Paypal or by Credit card.

Information collected when using Usenet service - Usenet Service Providers tend to provide the least information about this kind of activity. We know that all Usenet Service Providers are NO LOGS, and there is no monitoring of your activities. Nonetheless for them to work on a technical level, Usenet Service Providers need to have some kind of statistics (number of users, most popular groups) or levels of personal and collective usage (amount of articles downloaded, of articles not found, of bytes downloaded, ...) or the IP connected to know how the Usenet service is used at a general level.

To conclude:

You shouldn't be stupid about privacy. All Usenet Service Providers will respect the letter of the law, all Usenet Service Providers will never share your information with outside parties or track your usage unless mandated by law.

You need to understand that a Usenet Service Provider that respects all aspects of privacy for its users (no logs, anonymous payment like bitcoin, no personal information) will know only the minimum about you, your connection IP and your connection login. Only your ISP IP can make a link between you and your login. This is why if you want to move from privacy to full anonymity you need to hide your connection IP. For this, use a No Logs VPN like NordVPN that hides your real IP from your Usenet Service Provider. So your Usenet Service Provider can only know your login but nothing else, since your IP is no longer your own!

Watch out: you don't need a VPN to add to the security of your connection. The SSL offered is largely sufficient and avoids any sniffing of data between you and your USP servers.

Privacy relies on your Usenet Service Provider, which guarantees it through its policies and tools available (logs of articles you are reading/posting, personal information, payment methods, SSL). By their basic structure, Usenet Service Providers offer quite a lot in the way of protecting your identity. Anonymity is up to you and your habits. It is a higher level than simple privacy.

Anonymity depends on links between you and traces you might leave on Usenet (for example: a traditional method of payment like Paypal or bank card reveals to your Usenet Service Provider all your personally identifiable information (“PII”) + IP ISP + personal email). Up to you to remain discrete and use other existing options: Bitcoin, VPN, temporary email address…

Each Usenet provider has its own Privacy policy according to the jurisdiction it is subject to. In the table below we have grouped all the privacy policies from the most popular Usenet Service Providers - Which Usenet Services Take Your Privacy Seriously?

Usenet Providers(Tier-1 Usenet provider or Usenet Reseller)

Jurisdiction

Privacy review

Logs

Information collected when using Usenet service

SSL

Anonymous Payment Methods

Registration details

Personnal Data

Jurisdiction:Usenet.farm is headquartered in the Netherlands, one of the best jurisdictions for privacy.

Usenet provider: Usenet.Farm is a Tier 1 provider, meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Privacy review: Usenet.farm is great where anonymity is concerned. UsenetFarm is part of all the new Usenet Service providers that are extremely transparent and respectful of the Privacy of its users: no logs, anonymous payment.

Aside from their Netherlands jurisdiction, it’s fully possible to sign up for service without giving your name.

If you want to be as anonymous as is realistically possible, use Bitcoin. Usenet.Farm itself says that, if you use Bitcoin, they have no idea who you are: "With BitCoin we know nothing about you!"

Usenet.Farm is a good option for the privacy-conscious user

Logs: Usenet.farm doesn't log the articles you are reading/posting. NO LOGS clearly declared, a very positive point.

Information collected when using Usenet service - Usenet.Farm collect:

Your IP-address
Amount of articles downloaded
Amount of articles not found
Amount of articles posted
Amount of bytes downloaded
Amount of bytes sent
When your IP connected/authenticated/closed

Note: After 1month they anonymise the data (removing your IP) and grouping it in their statistics

They support SSL:

- Port 443 SSL (Less secure SSL)

- Port 563 TLS (More secure SSL)

You could use an anonymous payment: You can pay with anonymous payment methods such as Bitcoin, PaySafeCard

Bitcoin: Usenet.Farm encourages users to take advantage of Bitcoin if they need the highest possible level of privacy on the service.

Paysafecard: Paysafecard is a simple and safe prepaid payment method that allows you to make payments online without the use of a bank account or credit card information. NOTE: Paysafecards bought outside the EU are NOT accepted

NewsDemon does not log their customers usage.
256-bit SSL Encryption is available for all plans Bitcoin is a real advantage because it doesn't need any personal data for anonymous posting.

Logs: NewsDemon does not track or log the newsgroups you visit or the articles your access.

Information collected when using Usenet service: Maintain a record of any post you make to the USENET but access to this information is restricted

SSL encryption should take care of any security issues you may have

You could use an anonymous payment: For privacy conscious users they supports bitcoin payments.

Registration details: Name, address, country, email required. Normally just the email is enough if you pay with Bitcoin. But you also may not have known that NewsDemon members are allowed to delete all account information after signing up– while your account remains active until the end of your paid term.

Personnal data:"We do not and will not ever sell or share your email address or any contact info to any outside company....EVER!"

Privacy review: XSNews is a Dutch Usenet provider so XSNews is under jurisdiction Dutch law (NTD procedure).

XSNews also offers 256 Bit SSL connection, so you can assure yourself of being protected while accessing the thousands of uncensored newsgroups that XSNews Usenet access provides.

The service also takes bitcoin and Paysafecard, which is a real plus for those want to protect their privacy as much as possible.

Logs: The activities regarding the activity on the Usenet are not logged by XS News, but by the processor Abavia.

Information collected when using Usenet service:

As is standard with most providers, you have the option to encrypt your connection with SSL

You could use an anonymous payment:XSNews does take Paysafecard, which is a significant privacy advantage in and of itself.

The service also takes bitcoin, which is a real plus for those who need total anonymity.

Registration details: XSNews asks for a valid email address and country

Personnal data: XSNews describes all of this in detail

Jurisdiction:Tweaknews is a Netherlands-based company. So Tweaknews is under jurisdiction Dutch law as the company and website are based there.

Tier-1 Usenet provider: Tweaknews is a Tier 1 provider meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Privacy review: Tweaknews the only ones to mention anonymity: "Anonymous because your downloads are completely stealth"

Logs: TweakNews does not keep a log of what you download from their servers

Usage Information:

All Tweaknews accounts include 256-bit Encrypted SSL connections. This helps to protect your privacy because all data between your Newsgroup client and the Usenet servers are unreadable by anyone that could intercept them.

Personnal data: Tweaknews has never sold customer data to any third-parties and we believe privacy and the trust of our customers is central to providing good services in accordance with the highest ethical and legal standards.

Usenet Reseller: Blocknews resells services from UNS Holdings, also based in the USA.

Privacy review: The SSL encryption allows users to get on the system without worrying about being monitored, which is something those at all concerned about their privacy will appreciate. Another big advantage of Blocknews is the ability to post files into newsgroups without being monitored. This is perfect for people who take care about keeping Usenet alive by uploading content files.

Logs: Blocknews doesn' t monitor or record your activities online: "We do not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from or what you put in news articles that you post"

Information collected when using Usenet service: Blocknews does not monitor or record your activities online.

Free SSL With All Accounts, protecting anonymity.

You could use an anonymous payment: Blocknews accepts two anonymous payments: crypto currencies and the excellent “Money Order” in cash, US $.

Registration details: Even when paying with Paypal or credit card, FrugalUsenet is not intrusive when it comes to personal details. They only need a first/last name (that could be fake).

When paying anonymously this is unnecessary.

Personnal data: Very classic:"We will not sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this statement."

Jurisdiction:Usenetbucket is based in The Netherlands where security and online privacy are very respected

Usenet Reseller: Usenetbucket resells from BaseIP, also based in The Netherlands.

Privacy review: Tansparence, security and privacy are respected by Usenetbucket

Logs:

Information collected when using Usenet service: UsenetBucket does not monitor or record your activities online.

Free SSL is supported to help protect your anonymity online. So the only one knowing what you download, is you.

You could use an anonymous payment: You can pay with anonymous payment methods such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, PaySafeCard (note: Paysafecards bought outside the EU are NOT accepted).

Registration details: Just an email address and a password needed: "The only information we store is the information you provide us with".

Other info is requested but is optional.

Worth noting that Usenetbucket secures the password: "Your password is stored in a very secure non-reversible way. For the nerds: A two fish encryption with a random salt at a cost of 10, which results in a 512bit encryption."

Personnal Data:UsenetBucket will not release your personal personal information or usage information to investigators, attorneys, or agencies unless they are directed to do so by a Dutch court of competent jurisdiction in the matter.

Tier-1 Usenet provider: Newshosting is a Tier 1 provider meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Privacy review: If you’re worried about privacy, Newshosting is a good choice.

For Newshosting the handling of the personal data of its users is of great importance. The fact that Newshosting does not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from, plus the fact that transfers are protected by strong 256-bit SSL encryption, means that it will keep your Usenet activity private.

Logs:

Usage Information:Newshosting does not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from or what you put in news articles that you post.

They start out by offering 256-bit encryption on their connections, so you’re protected.

Registration details: You can give them the minimum: email address + password

Personnal data: Newshosting lets its users consult their personal information. But also to be able to delete them definitively: "You may update, correct or delete information about you at any time by logging into your online account and modifying your information"

Easynews exists both on the NNTP server (news.easynews.com) and on the webinterface

Tier-1 Usenet provider: Easynews is a Tier 1 provider meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Login to the dashboard: Done through username and password. If you forget your password, you can retrieve it with the security question

Jurisdiction: US-based provider. Usenetserver has newsgroup servers in the United States and Europe.

Tier-1 Usenet provider: UsenetServer is a Tier 1 provider meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Privacy review: This company takes privacy seriously. The company has consistently shown a commitment to protecting their customer’s anonymity: "At Usenetserver.com, it is our goal to keep your personal information as private as possible."

Logs:

Usage Information: UsenetServer does not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from or what you put in news articles that you post.

UsenetServer provides encrypted connections using 256-bit SSL, preventing your ISP from seeing what newsgroups and articles you are viewing.

Registration details: You can give them the minimum: a name (yours or not) an email address (to send subscribers information about their accounts)

Personnal data: UsenetServer lets its users consult their personal information. But also to be able to delete them definitively: "You may update, correct or delete information about you at any time by logging into your online account and modifying your information"

Jurisdiction:Eweka is under Netherlands jurisdiction and subject to Dutch law.

Tier-1 Usenet provider: Eweka is a Tier 1 provider meaning that they run their own servers and manage directly LOGS

Privacy review: The main advantage of Eweka is in its jurisdiction which definitely favours confidentiality of user data: logs, personal data:

To register at Eweka, a valid email address is required. The rest (name, phone number, Address) is optional

They hold personal information about their subscribers in the strictest confidence and do not sell or rent that information.

Logs:

Usage Information: Eweka does not monitor which newsgroups you post to or download from or what you put in news articles that you post.

Eweka supports SSL, which means all connections and transfers between you and the Usenet servers will be encrypted

Registration details: Eweka asks for a valid email address and country

Personnal data: Eweka describes all of this in detail

Jurisdiction:Newsgroupdirectis based in the USA (a country that allows No Logs) with servers in the United States and Europe.

Usenet Reseller: Newsgroupdirect resell services from UNS Holdings, also based in the USA.

Privacy review: NewsgroupDirect respects your privacy. The company will never share your information with outside parties or track your downloads. We appreciate that NewsgroupDirect offers free SSL encryption with all their accounts.

But no anonymous payment method which is a shame as Newsgroupdirect has the best block accounts and they could be used for posting and not just for completing articles missing from another provider.

Logs: They do not monitor downloads or maintain log files: "We do not and cannot log what you download. ."

Information collected when using Usenet service: "All we can see is the volume of information that you download, not the content."

Registration details: "We collect the following information from our users: first & last name, street address, city, state, ZIP code, and email address. We use this information to process payments to our site as well as provide customer service more effectively."

Personnal data:" We will never share your information with outside parties or track your downloads."

Jurisdiction:theCubeNet is an American Usenet company with servers in the United States and Europe.

Usenet Reseller: theCubeNet resell services from UNS Holdings, also based in the USA.

Privacy review:

When it comes to Privacy theCubeNet starts by supporting SSL connections to their Usenet servers.

They accept bitcoin for those who want a more anonymous payment source and several crypto currencies including LiteCoin, FeatherCoin and WorldCoin. Adding another level of privacy and anonymity to the service.

Logs: "We only log the date of access, IP address and download amount for accounting purposes. We do not log any other information."

Information collected when using Usenet service: "We only log the date of access, IP address and download amount for accounting purposes. We do not log any other information."

TheCubenet’s plans include 256bit SSL encryption with their USENET service

You could use an anonymous payment: They accept these Cryptocurrencies:

Logs: UsenetLink does not keep any logs of what articles you access on Usenet.

They protect downloads with 256-bit SSL encryption. The provider offers the SSL downloads over Port 563.

You could use an anonymous payment: They accept these Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin or Monero

Registration details: Minimum information required: email and name (could be fake). UsenetLink members are allowed to change their PII: "You can access and change your personally identifiable information after login on UsenetLink."

Personnal data: "We do not share this information with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete your order, process payments, and, if necessary, to process debt collection"

Usenet Reseller: PureUsenet resells from BaseIP, also based in The Netherlands.

Privacy review: PureUsenet offers 256-bit SSL encryption over port 563. They’re located in Europe, too, so that’s a bonus for people who want more privacy.

They also add an extra layer of privacy by allowing Bitcoin payments.

Logs:

Usage Information collected when using Usenet service:"We collect customer usage of the Services and amount of data transferred. We do not monitor where you post, what you download, or what you put in news articles that you post."

PureUsenet.nl members can connect using 256-bit SSL at no additional cost. We highly recommend using SSL via port 563 to help protect your privacy while downloading from newsgroups.

You could use an anonymous payment: Anonymous Payment possible via Paysafecard

They also accept Bitcoin, so you have the option of a strong anonymity layer if you want it.

Registration details: Name, address, country, email are required. Normally, just an email is enough if you pay with Bitcoin.

Personnal data:PureUsenet lets its users consult their personal information. But also to be able to delete them definitively: "You may update, correct, or delete information about you at any time by logging into your online account and modifying your information".

Usenet Reseller: XLNed resells from BaseIP, also based in The Netherlands.

Privacy review: They accept bitcoin and offer SSL, so those individuals who are particularly concerned about preserving their privacy should find this provider to be attractive in that regard.

Logs:

Usage Information collected when using Usenet service:"We collect customer usage of the Services and amount of data transferred. We do not monitor where you post, what you download, or what you put in news articles that you post."

You have the option to encrypt your connection with SSL

You could use an anonymous payment: There are anonymous payment methods available, such as Bitcoin and PaySafeCard

Registration details: Signing up is straightforward, with loads of payment methods offered, even Bitcoin and PaySafeCard, which can both be bought anonymously. It would be nice though if they would not ask for so much personal information: Initial(s) - First name - Surname prefix - Last name - Street - Number - Suffix - ZIP code - City - Country E-mail address

Personnal data:XLned lets its users consult their personal information. But also to be able to delete them definitively: "You may update, correct, or delete information about you at any time by logging into your online account and modifying your information".

Jurisdiction: We are unsure of 5eurousenet’s jurisdiction, but we think they are based in The Netherlands.

Logs:

Usage Information: 5EuroUsenet does not monitor or control content.

They protect downloads with 256-bit SSL encryption.

You could use an anonymous payment: 5EuroUsenet accepts Bitcoin

Registration details:First name - Last name - Country - E-mail address

Personnal data: 5eurousenet describes all of this in detail

Jurisdiction:ExtremeUsenet is based in The Netherlands (Privacy is highly valued by The Netherlands).

Usenet Reseller: ExtremeUsenet resells from BaseIP, also based in The Netherlands.

Privacy review: We know ExtremeUsenet very well and they are very attached to privacy. But the site is missing information as to the exact details.

Logs:

ExtremeUsenet includes SSL connections with all of their plans.

Registration details: You can give them the minimum: a name (yours or not), an email address because: "to send subscribers information about their accounts"

Registration details: "To complete a registration form, you will be required to select a user name and password, and to provide certain personally identifiable information, including without limitation your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, credit card number and other relevant information (all such information, “User Information”)."

Personnal data:"We do not share your User Information with other companies"